Method of and means for ascertaining and recording the thickness or denier of thread



Dec. 19, 1933. J. BRENZINGER 1,940,072 METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING AND RECORDING THE THICKNESS OR DENIER OF THREAD Filed Sept. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 avwemtoz Jidz'us 321221211 91 flux/mu Dec. 19, 1933. J. BRENZINGER 1,940,072

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING AND RECORDING THE THICKNESS 0R 'DENIER OF THREAD Filed Sept. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 36' avwemtoz Julz'usfirerznkyer Dec. 19, 1933. J. BRENZINGER 1,940,072.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING AND RECORDING THE THICKNESS OR DENIER OF THREAD Filed Sept. 11, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A Elwweutoz: I I Ji/lius firerzzz'rrfer 35 61 0mm;

Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR ASCERTAIN- lNG AND RECORDING THE THICKNESS OB DENIER OF THREAD necticut Application September 11, 1930 Serial No. 481,100

3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to machines for spinning thread or the like from synthetic material, such machines being generally referred to as rayon spinning machines, and has for its main object and feature a method of and means for ascertaining and recording the thickness or denier of the thread being produced, and

for checking up both the operation of the machine and the alertness of the attendant that controls it. In making the above statement, it is not intended, however, to limit the invention exclusively to rayon spinning machines because, as will presently appear, certain features of the invention are applicable to. other machines and, in fact, to change-speed transmission means broadly. I

In the accompanying drawings the invention is disclosed in a concrete and'preferred form in which Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of the essential elements of a rayon spinning machine and certain of its driving connections; a

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the transmission and recording elements;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the recording mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the wedge or speed changing controller; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of part of the recording mechanism.

The problem involved can be most readily visualized by considering briefly the arrangement and operation of a rayon spinning machine of a familiar type. Referring to Fig. 1, the synthetic material issues through the openings of a spinnerette 1, and said material is supplied to thespinnerette by pump 2. The thread thus produced is wound on a rotating spool 3, a thread-guide 4 being utilized to direct the thread from the spinnerette to the spool. In accordance with known practice, either the spool or the thread-guide or both may be given a back-and-forth movement to lay the thread on the rotating spool, and, in the present instance, we will assume that the thread-guide partakes of the back-and-forth movement and that the spool merely rotates. It will be understood, as explained in application Ser. No. 450,950, that as wound material 5 accumulates on the spool it increases in diameter and will therefore draw more and more thread per revolution, and, if the speed of rotation of the spool and of the pump remain constant, the thread will become thinner and thinner. This may be compensated for by increasing the pump speed to increase the rate of delivery of the synthetic material as explained in application Ser. No. 450,950 or, as explained in application Ser. No. 485,626 the speed of rotation of the spool may be gradually diminished. In the form of the invention shown here, the speed of the spool is gradually diminished. Now, byrecording the variation in speed of the pump and the spool during a given period of spinning, it will be understood that it can be ascertained whether or not the thread being produced is of a given thickness or denier, and whether or not it is of a uniform thickness or denier, and that, in this way, the recording device will act as a check on the operation of the machine, the'regularity of the product turned out and the vigilance of the machine attendant.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, reference character 6 indicates a chart which maybe ruled or not to denote time in one direction (horizontal lines) and change in speed in the other direction (vertical lines). This chart is conveniently drawn from a supply roll 7 and eventually passes to rewind roll 8 driven by a spring motor (not shown), In its travel from 7 to 8, chart 6 passes over roll 9 driven by clockwork (not shown) and provided with pins 10 that engage perforations 11 in the-margin of the chart, and which thus advances the chart at a definite speed. 12 is a stylus carried by bracket 13, which latter is slidingly mounted on rods 14 and 15. Bracket 13 is moved back or forth by arm 16 engaging between a bifurcated element 17, and said arm 16 is mounted on rockshaft 18 carrying a sprocket 19.

In Fig. 2 is shown a known type of changespeed transmission means characterized by a pulley the opposed faces 20 and 21 of which are brought nearer together or further apart by means of controllers such as wedges 22, which latter are carried by rack 23. The pinion marked 24 is the terminal member of a train of reduction gearing and is used to actuate rack 23. 25 and 26 are stanchions that move with the opposed faces 20 and 21 of the pulley, andanchored on stanchion 25 is a sprocket chain 27 that passes 100 over sprocket 28 on stanchion 26 and thence over sprocket 19 of the recording device. At its lower end, said chain, 27, carries a counterweight 29. It will now be understood that when the opposed faces of the pulley are separated, the stylus will 105 move in one direction and, when they are brought toward each other, the stylus will move in the other direction, the speed of the movement depending on the gear ratio, said movement in the present instance being very slow. The speed- 110 22 up and in the other to move said wedges down,

and in the construction here followed, the up movement represents the winding of material on one spool and the down movement the winding of material on another spool. The resulting graph is the zig-zag line shown on the chart in Fig. 2. It will be understood, however, that winding or spinning need not take place on both the up and down movements of the wedges. For instance, as shown in application Ser. No. 485,626, the winding may take place only on the up-stroke of the wedges and, when a spool is filled with material,

the wedges may be returned to their lower position before winding is recommenced. In that event, the graph plotted on the chart would con,- sist of parallel diagonal lines connected by substantially horizontal lines, as will be obvious. With the time indication given on the chart it appears that it takes one and one-half hours to fill one spool or three hours to fill two successive spools. Should the graph not coincide with this, or with any other, predetermined tme division, it

. will indicate that the spool carr es either too much or too little wound material. The angle of the oblique lines of the graph, by indicating the I speed variation, will also indicate the thickness or what is called the denier of the thread. As indicated in Fig. 4, wedges having differently inclined faces will be employed when winding different' thicknesses of thread. As an exempliflcation of this, when winding coarser thread, a wedge having the inclination shown in full lines will be used, and when winding a finer thread the inclination shown in dotted lines will be used.

The point indicated at b in Fig. 4 is the neutral position of the change speed transmission means,

and the parts will be so adjusted that the winding occupies an equal period on opposite sides of this point. In other words, the beginning of the spinning or winding operation is measured from point D.

Referring now again to Fig. 1, in the instant construction spool 3 is carried by.a shaft 30 and there may be as many spools 3 on this shaft as is desired. Parallel with shaft 30 is another spool shaft 31 which also carries a number of spools 32. Power is derived primarily from a motor as 33 from which latter motion is transferred to a main shaft 34 by means of flexible driving connections 35. Shaft 34 runs at a constant speed and supplies power to all the other elements of the machine. Thus, by way of illustration, 36 is a pump drive shaft that drives the several pumps by any suitable gearing as indicated diagrammatically at 37. In the construction here followed, pump drive shaft 36 runs at a constant speed and receives its motion (Fig. 2) from main shaft 34 by means of change speed transmission means 38 extending to shaft 39, and thence by'a series of spur gears 40 to shaft 36. It is to be noted that change speed transmission means 38 does not vary the speed during running, but is merely a convenient device for adjusting the pump shaft speed, should it be desired to do so. 41 and 42 indicate two shafts, one to drive spool shaft 30 by means of spiral gears 43, and the other to drive spool shaft 31 by means of spiral gears 44. Associated with each shaft 41 and 42 is a clutch 45 or 46 by means of which motion may be received from shafts 47 and 48 through the intermediacy of a train of gears 49 or 50.

and 48 in opposite directions and thus vary the speed of shafts 4'1 and 48. A spring 59 connects levers 55 and 56 and tends to draw one end of them'together. By throwing clutch 45 in, when wedges-22 are in position to ascend, spool shaft 30 will be driven at a constantly diminishing speed, and, when the spools carried by this shaft are filled, clutch 45 is thrown out and clutch 46 is thrown in thereby driving spool shaft 31 at a constantly diminishing speed during the descent of wedges 22.

Any suitable gearing may be employed to drive pinion 24 in opposite directions. In the present case, a flexible drive 60 leads from shaft 34 to shaft 61 and from this shaft leads a train of gears 62 including reversible pawl and ratchet mechanisms 63 so that the operator can impart rotation in either direction to pinion 24.

Thread guides 4 may be driven from shaft 34 by any suitable means as by flexible drive 64 leading to shaft 65, which latter in turn effects reciprocationof the thread guides in any suitable manner.

The gearing employed to drive the various elements and the structural features of the machine have been described very briefly in this specification, but a full disclosure may be had by referring to application Ser. No. 485,626.

I claim:

1. The combination of change-speed transmission means including: a pulley the opposed faces of which are brought nearer to and farther from each other, a recording member, and an actuating member connected to move the recording member in proportion to variations in relative position of the pulley faces to thereby record the speed variation effected.

2. The combination of change-speed transmission means including: a pulley the opposed faces of which are brought nearer to and farther from each other, a moving chart, a stylus to produce a graph on the, chart, and an actuating member connected to move the stylus in proportion to variations in relative position of the pulley faces to thereby record the speed variation effected.

3. The method of ascertaining the thickness of a thread or the like that is being produced from synthetic material, which consists in recording, with respect to elapsed time, variations in the relative speeds of the pump that delivers the synthetic material and the spool that winds the thread.

JULIUS BRENZINGER. 

